Oxigen Wallet plays host to the Proteas

Oxigen Wallet has launched a campaign called '#PlayTheHost' to give the Proteas, the South African T20 cricket team, a chance to experience Indian hospitality.

Carrying forward the Indian tradition of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' (treating guests like God), Oxigen Wallet, the official sponsor of the Proteas - the South African T20 Cricket Team - has launched a campaign titled '#PlayTheHost'. As part of the initiative, Indian cricket fans will get a chance to play host to the guest team, as they visit the country for the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series.

The brand has also launched a video titled 'Dadi Addresses the Host Nation' which talks about the relation between the two countries and their shared histories. Touching upon topics like the freedom struggle, the late Nelson Mandela's visit to India and his Bharat Ratna felicitation, Dadi encourages fellow Indians to play host to the South Africans who will be away from their homes for 72 days.

Emmanuel Upputuru, Creative Chairman - ITSA , the agency behind the campaign says, "The e-commerce and especially the mobile wallet market is really getting hot. But most talk about discounts and they wonder why the consumers are not loyal. Which is why I believe our Oxigen's integrated campaign #PlayTheHost will engage the consumer in a way. When you look at the Proteas, you see cricketers, then you see them as rival cricketers - but we tried to show them in a new light - as guests."

Commenting on the campaign objective, Ankur Saxena, CEO of Oxigen Wallet, says, "By making Indian cricket fans hosts to the visiting teams, we plan to reach every nook and corner of India, using interactions with the Proteas in person, on television, through outdoor promotions, on social and digital media and through radio."

"The success of previous incorporations of global players in IPL teams has made the South African cricketers a household name among cricket fans in India. Hence, sponsoring them was a natural choice. We would like to leverage their presence as much as possible during the T20 tour in India," adds Saxena.

For fans to be able to take part, all the information relevant to the campaign is available on the Oxigen Wallet website. It has details of all the 13 players under the 'Know Your Guest' section. To play host, one has to download the Oxigen Wallet app.

"The Proteas tour to India is always special and one of our most exciting adventures. Now, with Oxigen as our partner in India and the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Series at stake, this tour will take on even greater meaning for the players and fans. Our partnership with Oxigen and getting a sponsor from abroad has certainly been a pioneering step for us," comments Haroon Lorgat, chief executive, Cricket South Africa.

Oxigen Wallet claims to be India's first non-bank mobile wallet app, approved by RBI, which allows people to send and receive money through popular social channels such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, SMS and e-mail. It enables instant money transfer to any mobile number or bank account in India, even if the recipient is not registered with the Oxigen Wallet service.

Other than that, its in-app services include mobile/DTH/data recharges, post paid, utility bill payments and gift cards for over 30 brands.

Cricket South Africa (CSA), an affiliate of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), and a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), is the national governing body for the sport of cricket in South Africa and administers all aspects of South African cricket (men and women), both in the professional and amateur spheres. The organisation initially operated under the name of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) which came into being on June 29, 1991, following completion of the unity process between the South African Cricket Union (SACU) and the South African Cricket Board (SACB).